Legal

Terms, Privacy & Policies

Five documents govern your use of SmartSurveys.ng: our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Refund & Cancellation Policy, Website Disclaimer, and the Researcher's Declaration. Read together, they're the complete agreement between you and us.

On this page

  1. Terms of Service
  2. Privacy Policy
  3. Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy
  4. Website Disclaimer
  5. Researcher's Declaration & User Consent

1 of 5

Terms of Service

Effective date: July 5, 2026

Welcome to SmartSurveys.ng ("SmartSurveys", "we", "our", or "us"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, products, software, applications, and services (collectively, the "Platform").

By creating an account, purchasing a service, uploading a questionnaire, publishing a survey, or otherwise using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

1. About SmartSurveys.ng

SmartSurveys.ng is a technology platform that transforms questionnaires into professionally designed, interactive survey websites and provides research-support tools, which may include:

SmartSurveys.ng provides technology to support research. We are not a university, academic institution, ethics committee, statistical consulting firm, journal publisher, research supervisor, or regulatory authority.

2. Eligibility

To use SmartSurveys.ng, you represent and warrant that:

3. User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

You agree to notify us immediately of any suspected unauthorised access or security breach.

We reserve the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts where we reasonably believe there has been fraud, abuse, unlawful activity, or a breach of these Terms.

4. Research Responsibility

You remain solely responsible for your research. This includes, but is not limited to: questionnaire design, research methodology, sampling methods, respondent recruitment, ethical approval, institutional approval, informed consent, compliance with applicable laws and institutional policies, interpretation of findings, publication decisions, and academic submissions.

SmartSurveys.ng provides technological tools only and does not supervise, review, or approve research.

5. User Content

You retain ownership of all content uploaded to the Platform, including questionnaires, datasets, branding materials, documents, and research outputs.

By uploading content, you grant SmartSurveys.ng a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, process, reproduce, transmit, display, analyse, and convert such content solely for the purpose of providing the requested services.

You represent and warrant that you have all necessary rights, permissions, and licences to upload and use the content.

6. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, all intellectual property relating to SmartSurveys.ng, including source code, software, survey themes, interface designs, branding, logos, graphics, icons, animations, algorithms, documentation, databases, and Platform architecture, remains the exclusive property of SmartSurveys.ng or its licensors.

You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, decompile, scrape, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use SmartSurveys.ng to violate any law; commit fraud or deception; infringe intellectual property rights; upload malicious software; attempt unauthorised access; interfere with Platform security; conduct phishing or identity theft; harass, threaten, or abuse others; collect personal information unlawfully; distribute spam; or host illegal, harmful, or fraudulent content.

We reserve the right to remove content, suspend accounts, or terminate access where this section is violated.

8. Automated Features and AI

SmartSurveys.ng may use automated technologies, algorithms, or artificial intelligence to assist with response coding, reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, demographic summaries, dashboard generation, questionnaire formatting, data visualisation, and other research-support functions.

These features are provided solely to assist researchers. They do not replace academic supervision, statistical expertise, ethical review, or professional judgement. Researchers must independently verify all outputs before relying on them.

9. No Academic or Statistical Guarantee

SmartSurveys.ng does not guarantee thesis or dissertation approval, publication acceptance, ethical approval, higher academic grades, statistically significant findings, journal acceptance, supervisor approval, funding success, research quality, or accuracy of automated outputs. The Platform is a research support tool only.

10. Payments

Certain services require payment. By purchasing a service, you agree to pay all applicable fees. Prices may change without notice for future purchases. Unless otherwise stated, payments are due before work begins. Refunds are governed by our Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy.

11. Availability

We aim to provide a reliable service but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. Service interruptions may occur due to maintenance, software updates, cloud provider outages, internet failures, cybersecurity incidents, power failures, force majeure events, or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Temporary interruptions do not constitute a breach of these Terms.

12. Data Security

We implement commercially reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information processed through the Platform. However, no online system can guarantee absolute security. Users are encouraged to maintain independent backups of important research materials.

13. Third-Party Services

The Platform may integrate with third-party providers, including payment processors, cloud hosting services, authentication providers, analytics providers, and communication services. SmartSurveys.ng is not responsible for failures, delays, or losses arising from third-party services beyond our reasonable control.

14. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate access to the Platform where we reasonably believe these Terms have been violated, unlawful activity has occurred, Platform security is threatened, third-party rights have been infringed, or continued access exposes SmartSurveys.ng to legal or operational risk. Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that accrued before termination.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SmartSurveys.ng, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, licensors, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform, including loss of data, research delays, academic penalties, publication rejection, ethical review outcomes, statistical inaccuracies, AI-generated errors, business interruption, lost profits, respondent behaviour, internet outages, or third-party failures.

Where liability cannot be excluded by law, our total aggregate liability shall not exceed the amount paid by you to SmartSurveys.ng for the specific service giving rise to the claim during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the claim.

16. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SmartSurveys.ng disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, uninterrupted availability, and accuracy.

17. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SmartSurveys.ng, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, successors, licensors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, expenses, fines, penalties, and reasonable legal fees arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform, your research activities, your uploaded content, your violation of these Terms or any law, infringement of third-party rights, failure to obtain required ethical approvals or informed consent, or any negligent or wrongful act or omission on your part.

18. Force Majeure

SmartSurveys.ng shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemics, labour disputes, internet failures, cyberattacks, governmental actions, cloud service interruptions, telecommunications failures, or power outages.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may amend these Terms from time to time. Updated Terms become effective upon publication on the Platform. Your continued use of SmartSurveys.ng after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

20. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Before commencing legal proceedings, the parties agree to make reasonable efforts to resolve disputes through good-faith negotiation. Any dispute that cannot be resolved amicably shall be submitted to the competent courts of Nigeria, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

21. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

22. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy, Website Disclaimer, and Researcher's Declaration & User Consent, constitute the entire agreement between you and SmartSurveys.ng regarding your use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements or understandings relating to the same subject matter.

23. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact:
SmartSurveys.ng
Email: hello@smartsurveys.ng
Website: https://www.smartsurveys.ng

End of Terms of Service

2 of 5

Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 5, 2026

SmartSurveys.ng ("SmartSurveys", "we", "our", or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your information when you access or use our website, applications, and services (collectively, the "Platform").

By using SmartSurveys.ng, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to visitors to our website, registered users, researchers, survey respondents, organisations using our Platform, and anyone who interacts with SmartSurveys.ng.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information you provide. When creating an account, purchasing services, or contacting us, we may collect your full name, email address, telephone number, institution or organisation, country, billing information, uploaded questionnaires, survey settings, research documents, and communications with us.

B. Survey response information. Researchers determine the information collected through their surveys. Depending on the questionnaire, respondents may provide demographic information, survey responses, uploaded files, contact information, or other research-related information requested by the researcher. SmartSurveys.ng does not determine the content of questionnaires or the categories of information collected by researchers.

C. Automatically collected information. When you use the Platform, we may automatically collect your IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, screen resolution, language settings, pages visited, session duration, access times, referral information, error logs, and device identifiers. This helps us improve security, reliability, and performance.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

SmartSurveys.ng uses cookies and similar technologies to keep users signed in, remember preferences, maintain secure sessions, prevent fraud, improve website performance, analyse Platform usage, and save partially completed surveys where applicable. You may disable cookies through your browser settings, though certain features may not function correctly if you do.

4. How We Use Information

We process information to create survey websites, host questionnaires, collect responses, process payments, provide customer support, send service notifications, improve our Platform, generate dashboards, produce demographic summaries, perform automated analyses, maintain Platform security, detect fraud, and comply with legal obligations. We do not sell your personal information.

5. Research Data

SmartSurveys.ng provides technology that processes research information on behalf of researchers. In most cases, the Researcher determines why and how personal information is collected and acts as the Data Controller, while SmartSurveys.ng processes that information only to provide the requested services and generally acts as the Data Processor. Researchers are responsible for ensuring they have the legal authority to collect and process respondent information.

6. Lawful Basis for Processing

Where applicable, we process personal information based on your consent, performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, legitimate business interests, protection of vital interests, or other lawful bases recognised under applicable law.

7. Data Sharing

We may share information only where reasonably necessary, with recipients such as payment processors, cloud hosting providers, email service providers, analytics providers, customer support providers, professional advisers, or regulatory authorities where legally required. We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

8. International Transfers

Your information may be processed or stored on servers located in countries other than your own. Where international transfers occur, we take commercially reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are implemented in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, organisational, and technical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorised access, accidental loss, unlawful disclosure, alteration, misuse, and destruction. However, no internet-based system can guarantee absolute security. Users should maintain independent backups of important research materials.

10. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services, maintain Platform security, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, enforce agreements, and maintain backup systems. When information is no longer required, it may be securely deleted, anonymised, or aggregated.

11. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to request access to your personal information, request correction of inaccurate information, request deletion of eligible information, restrict or object to certain processing, withdraw consent where consent is the basis of processing, and request a copy of your personal information in a portable format. Requests may be submitted using the contact information below.

12. Children's Privacy

SmartSurveys.ng is not intended for children under the age of 13 without appropriate parental, guardian, school, institutional, or legal authorisation. Researchers collecting information from minors are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals and consents.

13. Confidential Research

We recognise that many research projects contain confidential or unpublished information. Except where required by law or necessary to provide our services, SmartSurveys.ng will not intentionally disclose questionnaires, datasets, research findings, or project information to third parties without appropriate authorisation.

14. Automated Processing

The Platform may automatically perform functions including response coding, demographic summaries, reliability analysis, frequency tables, basic descriptive statistics, dashboard generation, and data visualisation. These outputs are generated automatically to assist researchers. Researchers remain solely responsible for reviewing and verifying all outputs before relying upon them.

15. Third-Party Websites

Our Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. SmartSurveys.ng is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, security, or availability of third-party websites. Users access third-party services at their own risk.

16. Data Breach Response

In the event of a confirmed security incident affecting personal information, SmartSurveys.ng will take reasonable steps to investigate the incident, contain the breach, restore affected systems where practicable, notify affected individuals where legally required, and cooperate with competent regulatory authorities where applicable.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updated versions become effective upon publication on the Platform unless otherwise stated. Continued use of SmartSurveys.ng after publication constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

18. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:
Data Protection Officer, SmartSurveys.ng
Email: hello@smartsurveys.ng
Website: https://www.smartsurveys.ng

20. Entire Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy forms part of the legal framework governing your use of SmartSurveys.ng and should be read together with the Terms of Service, Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy, Website Disclaimer, and Researcher's Declaration & User Consent.

End of Privacy Policy

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Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy

Effective date: July 5, 2026

This Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy ("Policy") governs all purchases and services provided by SmartSurveys.ng. By purchasing or using our services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to this Policy.

1. Nature of Our Services

SmartSurveys.ng provides customised digital products and services designed specifically for each client, including interactive survey website development, questionnaire digitisation, custom survey themes, survey hosting, automated response coding, reliability analysis, demographic summaries, basic statistical reports, research dashboards, data exports, custom integrations, and premium research support services.

Because our services are customised and created specifically for each client, they generally cannot be returned once work has commenced.

2. Quotations and Pricing

All quotations are based on the information provided by the client at the time of the request. If the project scope changes after work has begun, SmartSurveys.ng reserves the right to revise the quotation accordingly. Unless otherwise stated, quotations remain valid for thirty (30) days from the date of issue.

3. Payment Terms

Payment may be required in full before project commencement, in agreed instalments for larger projects, or as otherwise specified in your quotation or invoice. Projects will generally not commence until the required payment has been received. Failure to complete payment may result in suspension, delay, or cancellation of the project.

4. Project Commencement

A project shall be deemed to have commenced once payment has been confirmed and work begins, the questionnaire has been reviewed, project planning has commenced, development resources have been allocated, survey design has started, or any custom work has been undertaken on behalf of the client. Once a project has commenced, it is treated as a customised digital service.

5. Cancellation Before Work Begins

Clients may request cancellation before work has commenced. Where no work has been undertaken, SmartSurveys.ng may, at its sole discretion, issue a full refund, issue a partial refund after deducting payment processing fees or administrative costs, or apply the payment as credit toward a future project.

6. Cancellation After Work Begins

Once work has commenced, cancellation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the stage of completion, SmartSurveys.ng may decline the refund request, issue a partial refund, deduct charges for completed work or third-party costs already incurred, or deliver completed portions of the project where appropriate.

7. Non-Refundable Services

Unless otherwise required by applicable law, the following are generally non-refundable once work has commenced: custom survey websites, questionnaire digitisation, premium survey themes, custom branding, dashboard development, hosting fees already incurred, domain registration fees, third-party software licences, consultancy services, statistical analysis services, custom integrations, and data migration services.

8. Client Responsibilities

Clients are responsible for providing complete questionnaires, accurate instructions, branding materials where required, timely feedback, necessary approvals, and required revisions within reasonable timeframes. Delays caused by incomplete or late client responses may result in revised delivery schedules.

9. Delivery Timeframes

Estimated delivery dates are provided in good faith and are not guaranteed unless expressly agreed in writing. Delivery may be affected by project complexity, scope changes, client revisions, third-party service providers, internet outages, technical failures, or force majeure events. SmartSurveys.ng shall not be liable for delays arising from these circumstances.

10. Revisions

Reasonable revisions necessary to correct implementation errors will be provided. Requests that materially alter the agreed project scope may be treated as additional work and may attract additional charges.

11. Acceptance of Deliverables

A project shall be deemed accepted when the client confirms acceptance, the survey is published or distributed, responses begin to be collected, or seven (7) calendar days pass after delivery without notification of any material defect. Minor design preferences or cosmetic differences shall not constitute material defects.

12. Service Interruptions

SmartSurveys.ng is not responsible for interruptions caused by internet service providers, cloud hosting providers, payment processors, domain registrars, telecommunications failures, power outages, cybersecurity incidents, government actions, or events beyond our reasonable control.

13. Refund Processing

Approved refunds will ordinarily be processed using the original payment method where reasonably practicable. Processing times depend upon banks, payment processors, and financial institutions. SmartSurveys.ng is not responsible for delays caused by third parties.

14. Chargebacks

Before initiating a chargeback with your financial institution, you agree to contact SmartSurveys.ng to allow us an opportunity to resolve the issue. Where a chargeback is initiated fraudulently or without reasonable grounds, SmartSurveys.ng reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account, recover outstanding amounts, recover reasonable administrative and legal costs, and pursue any other remedies available under applicable law.

15. No Guarantee of Research Outcomes

Payment for SmartSurveys.ng services does not guarantee higher response rates, successful thesis or dissertation approval, publication acceptance, ethical approval, supervisor approval, statistically significant findings, academic success, or any specific research outcome. SmartSurveys.ng provides technological tools and support services only.

16. Limitation of Liability

Where a refund is approved, the approved refund shall constitute your sole financial remedy in relation to the affected service, except where otherwise required by applicable law. In no event shall SmartSurveys.ng's total liability exceed the amount paid by the client for the specific service giving rise to the claim.

17. Policy Updates

SmartSurveys.ng reserves the right to amend this Policy at any time. Updated versions become effective upon publication on the Platform unless otherwise stated. Continued use of our services constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

18. Governing Law

This Policy shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

19. Contact Information

Questions regarding this Policy may be directed to:
SmartSurveys.ng
Email: hello@smartsurveys.ng
Website: https://www.smartsurveys.ng

20. Entire Policy

This Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy forms part of the legal framework governing your use of SmartSurveys.ng and should be read together with the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Website Disclaimer, and Researcher's Declaration & User Consent.

End of Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy

4 of 5

Website Disclaimer

Effective date: July 5, 2026

This Website Disclaimer ("Disclaimer") governs your access to and use of SmartSurveys.ng, including our website, applications, software, survey platforms, products, and related services (collectively, the "Platform"). By accessing or using SmartSurveys.ng, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to this Disclaimer.

1. General Information

The information, services, and materials provided on SmartSurveys.ng are intended solely for general informational, educational, and research-support purposes. Nothing on the Platform constitutes or should be interpreted as legal, medical, statistical, research supervision, academic supervision, professional, financial, or regulatory advice. Users should seek independent professional advice where appropriate.

2. Technology Platform

SmartSurveys.ng is a technology platform designed to help researchers create interactive survey websites and automate certain research-related processes. We are not a university, research institution, ethics committee, journal publisher, statistical consulting firm, examination body, regulatory authority, or professional research consultancy. Our role is limited to providing software and related services.

3. No Academic Guarantee

Use of SmartSurveys.ng does not guarantee thesis, dissertation, or research project approval; higher academic grades; supervisor or external examiner approval; publication in academic journals or acceptance by conferences; research funding or successful grant applications; or ethical or institutional approval. Academic outcomes depend on numerous factors outside the control of SmartSurveys.ng.

4. Automated Analysis Disclaimer

SmartSurveys.ng may automatically generate response coding, reliability statistics including Cronbach's Alpha, frequency tables, demographic summaries, descriptive statistics, charts, dashboards, data visualisations, and AI-assisted recommendations. These outputs are generated using automated software and are intended to assist researchers. They must not be regarded as professional statistical advice. Researchers remain solely responsible for reviewing, validating, and interpreting all outputs before relying upon them.

5. Artificial Intelligence

Some Platform features may utilise artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies. Although designed to improve efficiency, AI systems may occasionally produce inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, or unsuitable outputs. AI-generated content should always be independently verified, should never replace professional judgement, and researchers remain solely responsible for all conclusions drawn from AI-assisted analyses.

6. No Warranty of Accuracy

SmartSurveys.ng makes no representation or warranty that survey outputs are error-free, that statistical calculations are appropriate for every research design, that reliability analyses satisfy institutional requirements, that AI-generated outputs are accurate, that survey websites will increase response rates, that respondents will complete surveys, or that internet connectivity will remain uninterrupted. Users assume full responsibility for verifying all information generated by the Platform.

7. User Responsibility

Users are solely responsible for research methodology, questionnaire quality, ethical and institutional approval, respondent recruitment, informed consent, compliance with applicable laws, data interpretation, academic submissions, publication decisions, and regulatory compliance. SmartSurveys.ng neither supervises nor validates research.

8. Third-Party Services

Our Platform may rely upon third-party providers including cloud hosting providers, payment processors, email service providers, analytics providers, authentication providers, and domain registrars. SmartSurveys.ng does not control these third-party services and shall not be responsible for interruptions, failures, delays, or losses resulting from their operation.

9. External Links

The Platform may contain links to external websites for convenience. Such links do not constitute endorsement. SmartSurveys.ng accepts no responsibility for external content, third-party privacy practices, website availability, third-party security, or products or services offered by third parties. Accessing external websites is entirely at your own risk.

10. Availability

While we strive to provide continuous access to the Platform, we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability. Temporary interruptions may occur because of scheduled maintenance, software updates, internet failures, power outages, cybersecurity incidents, cloud infrastructure failures, government actions, or events beyond our reasonable control. Such interruptions shall not constitute a breach of any agreement.

11. Security

Although SmartSurveys.ng implements commercially reasonable security safeguards, no internet-based platform can guarantee complete security. Users should maintain independent backups of all important questionnaires, research documents, survey responses, statistical outputs, and exported datasets.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SmartSurveys.ng, its owners, employees, contractors, affiliates, licensors, and partners shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, exemplary, punitive, or special damages arising from or relating to use of or inability to access the Platform, AI-generated outputs, automated analyses, research findings, academic outcomes, publication decisions, loss of respondents, data corruption, internet outages, service interruptions, third-party failures, or cybersecurity incidents.

Where liability cannot legally be excluded, our total liability shall not exceed the amount paid by you for the relevant service during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the claim.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SmartSurveys.ng, its owners, employees, contractors, affiliates, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, penalties, fines, and reasonable legal fees arising from your use of the Platform, your research activities, your uploaded content, violations of applicable laws or institutional policies, infringement of intellectual property rights, failure to obtain required ethical approvals or informed consent, or your breach of any SmartSurveys.ng policy.

14. Changes to this Disclaimer

SmartSurveys.ng reserves the right to amend this Disclaimer at any time. Changes become effective immediately upon publication unless otherwise stated. Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the updated Disclaimer.

15. Governing Law

This Disclaimer shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this Disclaimer, please contact:
SmartSurveys.ng
Email: hello@smartsurveys.ng
Website: https://www.smartsurveys.ng

17. Entire Disclaimer

This Website Disclaimer forms part of the legal framework governing your use of SmartSurveys.ng and should be read together with the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy, and Researcher's Declaration & User Consent. Together, these documents constitute the complete agreement between you and SmartSurveys.ng regarding your use of the Platform.

End of Website Disclaimer

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Researcher's Declaration & User Consent

Effective date: July 5, 2026

This Researcher's Declaration & User Consent ("Declaration") forms part of the legally binding agreement between you ("Researcher", "User", "you", or "your") and SmartSurveys.ng. Before creating, publishing, or distributing any survey through SmartSurveys.ng, you must read and accept this Declaration.

By creating an account, uploading a questionnaire, publishing a survey, purchasing a service, or clicking "I Agree", you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to all the provisions below.

1. Research Ownership

I declare that I am the owner of, or have the legal right to use, every questionnaire, document, image, logo, scale, instrument, dataset, and other material that I upload to SmartSurveys.ng. I accept full responsibility for all uploaded content.

2. Ethical Approval

Where my institution, employer, ethics committee, sponsor, journal, regulator, or applicable law requires ethical approval before data collection, I confirm that I have obtained all necessary approvals. I understand that SmartSurveys.ng does not review, verify, issue, or approve ethics applications.

3. Informed Consent

I confirm that where required by law or institutional policy, I will obtain valid informed consent from every respondent before collecting personal information. I understand that SmartSurveys.ng does not determine whether consent is required for my research.

4. Responsibility for My Research

I acknowledge that I alone am responsible for research design, questionnaire development, sampling methods, participant recruitment, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection, ethical and institutional and legal compliance, statistical interpretation, research conclusions, publication decisions, and academic submissions. SmartSurveys.ng provides technology only and does not supervise, validate, or approve research.

5. Copyright and Intellectual Property

I declare that my uploaded materials do not knowingly infringe the copyright, trademark, patent, privacy rights, publicity rights, or any other intellectual property rights of another person or organisation. Where copyrighted research instruments are used, I confirm that I possess the required licence or permission to use them.

6. Accuracy of Uploaded Information

I acknowledge that SmartSurveys.ng cannot determine whether my questionnaire is valid, my research design is appropriate, my statistical assumptions are correct, my respondents answer truthfully, or my research conclusions are accurate. I remain solely responsible for verifying all information before publication or submission.

7. Automated Features

I understand that SmartSurveys.ng may automatically perform functions including response coding, variable coding, reliability analysis, Cronbach's Alpha calculations, frequency tables, demographic summaries, charts, dashboards, basic descriptive statistics, and data exports. These outputs are provided solely to assist my research. I will independently review and verify all outputs before relying on them.

8. Artificial Intelligence

Where AI-assisted features are available, I understand that AI-generated outputs may contain errors, AI may misunderstand uploaded content, AI recommendations are not professional advice, and final responsibility for all research decisions remains mine.

9. Sensitive Information

If my survey collects sensitive personal information, such as medical, health, financial, government identification, biometric, genetic, political, religious, criminal history, or children's information, I confirm that I possess all legal authority and ethical approval required to collect and process such information.

10. Data Protection

I understand that I am responsible for complying with all applicable data protection laws governing my research. Where required, I will provide respondents with appropriate privacy notices, consent information, withdrawal procedures, and contact information.

11. Independent Backups

I understand that although SmartSurveys.ng employs commercially reasonable security safeguards, I remain responsible for maintaining independent backups of questionnaires, datasets, exported files, statistical outputs, ethics approvals, consent documentation, and research records.

12. No Academic Guarantee

I understand that SmartSurveys.ng does not guarantee higher response rates, successful dissertations, thesis approval, publication, journal or conference acceptance, research grants, ethical or supervisor approval, academic grades, or statistically significant findings. Success depends upon many factors beyond the Platform.

13. Limitation of Liability

I agree that SmartSurveys.ng shall not be liable for losses arising from research design decisions, sampling errors, respondent behaviour, statistical interpretation, publication decisions, academic outcomes, institutional decisions, regulatory actions, AI-generated outputs, automated analyses, service interruptions, internet failures, or third-party service failures.

14. Indemnification

I agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SmartSurveys.ng, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, successors, licensors, and assigns from and against all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, penalties, fines, costs, expenses, and reasonable legal fees arising from my research activities, my questionnaires or uploaded materials, violations of applicable law or institutional or ethical requirements, infringement of intellectual property rights, breach of respondent privacy, my misuse of the Platform, or my breach of any SmartSurveys.ng agreement or policy.

15. Electronic Signature

I acknowledge that creating an account, clicking "I Agree", uploading a questionnaire, publishing a survey, making payment, or using any SmartSurveys.ng service constitutes my electronic signature and has the same legal effect as signing this Declaration in writing, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Acceptance

By using SmartSurveys.ng, I confirm that I have carefully read this Declaration, understand my legal and ethical responsibilities, accept full responsibility for my research, will comply with all applicable laws and institutional requirements, have the legal authority to upload all materials submitted to the Platform, understand that SmartSurveys.ng provides software and research-support tools only, understand that all automated analyses require independent verification, and agree to be bound by the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Refund, Cancellation & Service Delivery Policy, and Website Disclaimer.

This checkbox is live on the intake form (the "Build my survey" and "Upload questionnaire draft" flows) and will also gate publishing inside the survey builder once that's built. It's not an interactive control on this page, it's shown here so the full text of what you're agreeing to is documented in one place.